The Sun's Coming Out
by Yucho
Summary: Team Legacy has gotten back from the future, and the whole experience has made Tycho think about his relationship with Yuuki. He's decided. He's finally going to tell his partner that he loves him. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers, M/M, Yaoi.
1. Thinking Of You

_"Hey, look at that Yuuki!"_

_I said as my partner and I finally reached the peak of Dark Hill. Yuuki was already close by my side. We'd been keeping close. The dark future had us both on edge, but having Yuuki by my side made this all easier._

_"The future really is a world of darkness… And those lights… That must be the stockade."_

_Yuuki joined me in looking out over the world. There was a cluster of lights a fair distance away from us, and the Riolu nodded resolutely._

_"It's... Strangely pretty..." He said with a small laugh. It was, but… I was afraid. "How are you feeling?" He went on, turning to me._

_"I'm… fine." I began. He looked at me with concern. "I just…" I paused, wanting to keep my composure. "Dusknoir… I mean, I really came to respect him, and…" My voice quivered. Yuuki suddenly took my hand. He always knew when I was upset…_

_"Me too. I'm… Not sure what's going on either, but we've got to keep moving." He said, his voice calm. I nodded. He was right, but…_

_"How are we going to get home though? I mean… Wigglytuff, the guild, and everyone in town…" My throat tightened. "I miss them… I want to go home…" Yuuki turned to face me, his face serious, but gentle. Kind._

_"Tycho… We'll get home. I promise. We'll find Grovyle, okay? He got to our world once, he'll know how to do it again!" I stopped to think. That was true, but… "I promise I'm not going to let him hurt you." He went on. I was blushing now. I knew I was. Yuuki was always so sweet, and so caring towards me. I didn't trust Grovyle, but I'd trust Yuuki with anything. If Yuuki thought it would be okay, then it would be._

_"Okay. That's worth a try." I said, trying to sound hopeful. Yuuki gave me a small smile, no easy feat in this world, and extended his arms out._

_"Come here." He said gently. I returned that shadow of a smile. He could tell I was still down, and he knew that a hug would me feel better. We hugged fairly often. We're both male, so maybe that's not what you'd expect, but… I didn't mind. Not one bit. I happily walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his chest. I sighed happily as I felt him hold me, losing myself for a moment. His fur was so soft… "It'll be okay." He whispered in my ear. That just made me hold him tighter. It would be, thanks to him._

_We stayed in that blissful embrace for a while, until finally we parted._

_"I… guess we'd better get going then." Yuuki said, still smiling at me. I smiled back, a real smile, the type that felt so far away just a few minutes earlier. "There's your smile…" He said, grinning now, actually making me laugh a little. He started walking off, but I… Needed to say something._

_"Yuuki…" He turned to look at me, that smile still on his face. "Thank you for cheering me up about all this. Thanks for reminding me that I'm not alone. Just… Thank you for supporting me, and… Being my friend and… Everything. Thank you Yuuki." He was blushing now._

_"Tycho, I…" He started, then stopped, taking my hand again. "You're my best friend, of course I'm going to be there for you. You… Really matter to me, Tycho." We were both blushing like crazy now, but it was clear on Yuuki's face, he meant everything he just said._

_And I loved him for it._

'Why didn't I tell him then…" I thought to myself. It was early. We'd gotten back to our world, just like Yuuki said we would, and a lot had happened since that conversation, but there I was, just thinking about him. That was kind of silly really. We had a lot to do, but for right now, Yuuki was all I could think about. His gentle smile, his kind words, his soft fur… He was amazing. I was in love with him. I'd known that for a long time by that point, but now… I wanted to tell him. That would have been a good time. Just the two of us, a tender moment…

I suppose there was never a perfect moment to do this. Especially considering I'd have to tell him I was gay before I can tell him how I felt about him… I wasn't even really sure what I was worried about when it came to the first part. He wouldn't stop being my friend over something like that. He cared about me, and we'd even met one or two gay couples while doing missions. But despite all that, there was still a tiny bit of doubt that held me back, and I wished I could just… Say it. At least that I'm gay, how I feel about him could wait, I just… He deserved to know.

I'd been awake for almost half an hour, when I noticed the ripples of colour on the horizon. The sun was rising. Figuring I wasn't going to get to sleep with so much on my mind, I figured I may as well step outside and watch.

**Authors Note:**

Just to clarify: Yuuki (a Riolu) is the Hero and Tycho (a Treecko) is the Partner.

Now, I'm aware that I'm posting fanfic for Mystery Dungeon Explorers in 2019, but this idea has been in my head for a long time, so here it is. On Valentine's Day no less!

I've been crazy about this game for a long time, and I must say, I have no idea how much attention this is gonna get. Although, having been crazy about it for a while, please excuse the weeb name I gave Yuuki. I chose that name when I was kind of in my weeb phase, and by the time I got out of it, the name had grown on me, so it stays. :P

Anywho, I'm hoping I can keep writing this and update quickly, but if you're reading this in 2022 or something and there's only two chapters, then I guess that didn't happen. Sorry!


	2. Advice

I quietly got up and made my way onto the top of Sharpedo Bluff, watching the sunrise. After a minute, a voice behind me startled me a little.

"Trouble sleeping?" I turned around to see Grovyle at the top of the stairs, a mildly concerned look on his face.

"A little. I've just… Got a lot on my mind, you know?" I responded, still a little tired.

"I don't blame you." He said as he approached me. "I'm sorry about what happened with Dusknoir."

"Thanks. Although… Dusknoir deceiving us was a shock, but I've just been thinking about Yuuki, and everything you've told us… Yuuki really is from the future, huh?"

"Yeah…" Grovyle said with a laugh, looking a bit bashful. "I know it's a lot to take in." He then paused. "Sorry you got caught up in this." He said, sounding more apologetic.

"Don't be. If Yuuki's been helping you restore the planet, then I want to help too." I said firmly, really meaning it. Grovyle seemed impressed, then looked at me for a moment, as if he were trying to figure something out.

"For the planet's sake, or for Yuuki's?" He asked, a curious look on his face.

"Both." I responded quickly. "I want to be with Yuuki, but I also want to protect… All this." Grovyle smiled, then looked over his shoulder, and noticed the sun was rising. We both paused to watch for a moment.

"This is worth protecting." He said simply. I smiled as the sun shone on my face.

"I… Never thought a sunrise could feel so renewing…" I said. I hadn't realised how long it had been since I'd last seen one. Grovyle was right, this was worth fighting for. He nodded.

"Tell me about it…" He said, laughing quietly again. I laughed a little at that as well.

"I'd been taking it for granted… I didn't realise how much I'd miss the sun rising and setting until I couldn't see it anymore. Things like that… They're precious." Grovyle smiled at me.

"I didn't see anything like that until recently… Seeing it for the first time was… Incredible."

"I'm sorry..." I whispered. To be without something like this... such a simple thing, but so enriching… I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

"It's okay. I'm here now. And seeing all this… It only strengthens my resolve." He said, smiling at me again. A confident smile, one I couldn't help but return. We went back to watching the sunrise for a moment, then he spoke up again. "But tell me…" He said, tearing his eyes away from the beautiful sight. I looked at him. "What gives you your resolve? When you got us away for Dusknoir and the Sableye, what motivated you? What made you not give up?" He asked. I thought for a moment. The answer didn't immediately come to me, but when it did, it was obvious.

"I think it's because of Yuuki." I stated.

"What do you mean?" He asked patiently.

"Yuuki's… Always helped me with stuff like that. He really helps me be brave. Like… Here." I said, as I lifted the necklace I kept my Relic Fragment on over my head, showing it to Grovyle. He looked at it puzzlingly for a moment.

"What does the symbol mean? I haven't seen something like this before…"

"This is my Relic Fragment. It means a lot to me. Someday, I want to figure out what this symbol means, and what this is for. I wanted to join the guild to do that but I… I just couldn't by myself. But when I had Yuuki with me, I joined the guild, and we've done so much amazing stuff together. I feel like I could do anything with Yuuki. Being with him… It's been the best time of my life." I said, meaning each and every word.

"I can tell Yuuki means a lot to you." Grovyle said, with a knowing smile. "He's a good friend, and he's really important to me as well. But you really care about him, and it shows. He's lucky."

"I really do. He… means the world to me…" I said, still watching the sunrise, feeling even warmer now that I was thinking about that sweet Riolu, still asleep beneath us. "Thank you." I said, turning to him with a smile, which he returned.

"Don't mention it." He said. There was a pause. "But do you…" He began, and I could tell he was choosing his words carefully. "Maybe… Care about him in some… Other way?" He asked. I looked at him, suddenly worried.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feigning ignorance. I kept my eyes on him, trying to judge what he was doing.

"I mean, do you… like him as more than a friend?" He asked. I was really worried now. How did he know? What if he tells Yuuki? I wasn't ready for that! As all these questions raced through my head, Grovyle's face stayed the same, and he still had that patient, understanding look. "I promise I won't tell anyone." He said reassuringly.

I swallowed, suddenly very nervous. After a moment, I decided to trust him. "Yes. I do. Yuuki is… The best friend I've ever had and I… I love him." There it was. I'd said it. To someone at least. Grovyle nodded. His face still looked calm.

"I promise I won't tell him." He said again. I gave a sigh of relief, and Grovyle smiled. "But… Does he know you're… You know?"

"What, um... Attracted to males?" I said with a blush, unused to talking about stuff like this. "No. I... Want to tell him, I just… I don't want to risk losing him."

"Tycho." He said seriously. I looked at him. "I promise you won't lose him because of that. Even if he and I hadn't met a few guys like that, I can tell from what I've already seen, he really cares about you."

I thought about that for a second. Grovyle was right. He and I both knew Yuuki would be fine with me being gay. It's just…

"Yuuki helps you be brave, doesn't he? He'll be proud of you for telling him." Grovyle said, putting a hand on my shoulder and smiling at me again. That was probably true too. Yuuki was always so understanding and nice about stuff like that… I was smiling now, a real smile. A happy smile. Grovyle smiled as well. "Whether you tell him is your choice, but I promise it'll be okay." He said in a kind voice.

"Thanks, Grovyle. I'll think about it." I said shyly, unused to this kind of conversation, but happy to have talked about this.

"Anytime." He said, turning around to head back inside. The sun had risen by this point, bathing the landscape in its warmth. "I see he still sleeps late if we let him!" He whispered to me with a smirk as he walked down the steps. I laughed at that, and soon followed after him, excited for what the next few days might hold.

**Authors Note**

Here's another chapter then. Why not, eh? Anyway, not much interaction between Yuuki and Tycho in this one, but it'll get there!

I always found the relationship between the Partner and Grovyle kind of interesting, since there's quite a few ways you can see it. I was considering taking a more jealousy-focused angle, but when I thought about it, I don't see the Partner as being like that, and I don't think Grovyle would be either. I think they'd be happy the Hero was finding out more about their past, especially the Explorers Partner, who likes mysteries like that.

So, with that in mind, I wanted to establish Tycho and Grovyle as getting along quite well, and also with Grovyle being cool with Tycho being gay and in a potential relationship with Yuuki. So yeah, maybe a bit more of a Friendship chapter here, but that's nice too, I hope!


	3. Treeshroud Forest

So we made our plan. We'd have to gather the Time Gears back up, and Grovyle recommended we go for Treeshroud Forest first. So that we did. I'll be honest, I was little bit side-tracked as we made our way over there. I was thinking about what Grovyle said. About Yuuki accepting me, and being proud of me. The thought made me smile. I kind of knew he would be. When we'd gotten back from Fogbound Lake, he'd said he was proud of me, and that had felt incredible. I'd known by then how I felt about him, and to see him smile at me and tell me that? I was blushing just thinking about it…

"You okay Tycho?" Yuuki asked, turning to me with a smile. "You've been kind of quiet."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, unable to resist returning that smile. How could anyone be so handsome? "Just… Thinking about stuff, you know?" Yuuki nodded.

"Yeah. Been doing a lot of that myself…" He said, with a small laugh. "It's funny… It's still a dungeon, but I'm actually kind of looking forward to this!" I smiled. I had to admit, I was kind of feeling the same way. It was still serious, but it wasn't… As scary as the future had been.

"Yeah, me too!" I said. "It'll be really nice to get exploring again!"

"Yeah, it will…" Yuuki said, smiling wider. He then took my hand, and I felt a jolt of excitement shoot through me at his touch. "I've still got your back, okay? We can do this." That set me blushing again, and there was no hiding it. I turned away for a second, but then looked back at him, a happy smile on my face.

"I've got yours too Yuuki, I promise." I said to him, giving him a determined look. I meant it. I wasn't going to let any harm come to him. Not now. Not ever. That smile remained on his face. That gorgeous smile. Happy. Touched. Proud. I could see it all in his smile…

"Thank you, Tycho." He said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I could tell he meant every word of what he was saying just as much as I did. We were approaching the forest now, but just before we got to work, I took that moment to just… Take in the sight. The smiling, content face of the love of my life… I could look at that forever… Neither of us spoke for a moment, and as I gazed into my partners ruby-red eyes, thoughts of my feelings for him raced through my head.

Then the strangest thing happened. Just for a second… One part of me told me that he was doing the same thing.

And then I knew I was going to tell him.

We made quick work of the dungeon. Yuuki and I always worked well together, and I hadn't noticed it in the future, but now that I knew they'd worked together before, I noticed he and Grovyle worked well together as well. I knew better than to get jealous though. I knew Yuuki cared about me, and Grovyle was a good guy too. I was glad they were friends. They must have looked out for each other a lot.

It wasn't long before we reached the deepest part of the forest, but something was wrong…

"Time's stopped here…" Grovyle said in an uncertain voice. There was a moment of silence and uncertainty.

"I thought all the Time Gears were taken back to their rightful places…" I said, confused.

"They should have been…" Grovyle replied in a perplexed voice.

"Have they not been brought back yet?" Yuuki asked, sounding afraid. Grovyle thought for a second, then gestured for us to follow him.

"Let's see. The Time Gear was just through here…" He said, pushing through some of the dense foliage. Yuuki and I followed, and as the three of us made our way into the clearing beyond, we were bathed in that unmistakable blue light. The Time Gear was there, suspended in the air.

"Still here… But… Time's stopped here anyway." I said, unsure of all of this.

"Weird… What's going on, Grovyle?" Yuuki asked. Grovyle didn't look much surer than us.

"I don't know." He conceded. "Nothing ever said what would happen if you put a Time Gear back…" He stopped to think again, then reached up and took the Time Gear. Yuuki and us were both surprised. "But I suppose it doesn't make any difference now." Grovyle said as he turned back to us. I suppose that did make sense.

"That everything we need from here, then?" Yuuki asked. Grovyle nodded.

"Should be. Let's head back." He said. Yuuki and I understood, turning to head back the way we came.

A few minutes later, as we were leaving the dungeon however, Grovyle turned to me.

"Could you do me a favour Tycho?" I got nervous for a second, but nodded cautiously. "Could you maybe gather some information in Treasure Town before we head back? You know, about what's going on?"

I thought for a second. It should be alright if I laid low… "Sure." I responded after a moment.

"Are you sure that'll be alright?" Yuuki asked Grovyle, looking a bit unsure. Grovyle looked over to him.

"It should be." He looked back to me. "As long as you keep a low profile. Maybe try asking passers-through, Pokémon offering missions at the guild, people like that." I nodded again.

"Yeah, I'll try not to be recognised. There might be an uproar if I was." I said. Yuuki smiled, a light blush on his face, evidently a bit embarrassed.

"Yeah. Sorry." He said, looking down at the ground slightly. "Shouldn't be worrying about you, I just, y'know…" He trailed off. Part of me wanted to know what he meant to say, but honestly, between his blushing and saying he cared about me, I was a bit too smitten to push that. Gosh he was adorable… After a moment, I simply took his hand.

"Thanks Yuuki." I said, blushing myself now. He looked into my eyes, a look of such fondness on his face. In one look I could see such gratitude that I just couldn't help but smile at him, and he swiftly returned the favour.

"Tycho…" He said, looking down again. "Just… Stay safe, okay?"

"Of course." I responded, wanting to ease his mind.

We were pretty quiet the rest of the journey back, and when Yuuki and Grovyle sneaked back to Sharpedo Bluff, I got to gathering information.

**Authors Note:**

Bit more Hero x Partner fluff here, I had a lot of fun writing this!

Between helping him set up the team, and everything that happened with Team Skull, I always like to see the Hero as being really protective of the Partner. Hence Yuuki's concern here. But at the same time, Tycho definitely isn't defenceless or anything like that, and Yuuki knows that, which is why he was kind of embarrassed about asking. Still, i don't think Tycho minds seeing him all flustered!

Anyway, hope you enjoy it. Next chapter should be up soon too.


	4. Making Plans

After asking some people around town what had been happening, I quickly made my way back to Sharpedo Bluff, being careful not to be recognised. Then, as I set foot the steps, I heard Yuuki talking.

"But, you know. You need to look out for your friends, and that's what I'm gonna do. For both of you." I paused for a second, smiling. Gosh he was wonderful… I already knew he stood up for his friends – He'd done it for me enough times for me to figure that out – but to hear him say it so plainly and so confidently… He really was amazing. I took a moment to daydream, but then quickly composed myself and walked down the steps. Yuuki noticed me straight away.

"Tycho!" He said happily as I entered the room. "How'd it go? You okay?" He asked. I nodded, smiling at him.

"I think it went well. I don't think anyone recognised me either." I answered him.

"That's good." Grovyle responded. "So, what's the word?" I paused, uncertain how to say it.

"It doesn't sound good." I said, concern now evident in my voice. "The Time Gears were taken back to their original places, but time there didn't start up again and… It's spreading…" I said. They both looked shocked.

"Damn… That can't be good…" Yuuki said, the worry in his voice mirroring that in mine. "What does that mean, Grovyle?"

"If time's stopping… that must mean Temporal Tower is collapsing…" Grovyle answered.

"Temporal Tower?" I asked.

"Temporal Tower is the home of Dialga. It's tied to him. When Temporal Tower collapses, so does Dialga's state of mind." He explained.

"And when Dialga loses his mind, that's when time stops, right? And Dialga becomes… What we saw in the future?" Yuuki asked. Grovyle nodded.

"That's right, Primal Dialga." He paused. "If Temporal Tower is collapsing now… Then the planet's paralysis is starting." I gasped and that, and Yuuki looked afraid too.

"We need to hurry then!" I said.

"Yeah. What do we need to do?" Yuuki said, looking serious. Grovyle seemed glad to cut to the chase.

"There are two things we need to do. Firstly, we need to collect the Time Gears, and secondly, we need to set them in place at Temporal Tower."

"How do we… Get there?" I asked, hoping the answer wasn't staring me in the face.

"That's the problem. Temporal Tower is in a place called the Hidden Land. As you might be able to guess, no one knows where that is." He responded, now looking uncertain himself. It did seem daunting, but…

"So we'll find that out then." Yuuki said, a confidence in his voice that I couldn't help but smile at. Grovyle smiled as well.

"Sounds like a plan." He said. "Now, since there are two things we have to do, I was thinking maybe we could split up. I could gather up the Time Gears, and you two try to find out about the Hidden Land."

"Sounds good to me." Yuuki said. "Fine with you, Tycho?" He looked at me, and our eyes met. Yuuki had that kind smile on his face again, and I suddenly realised that if it were just him and I… That could be the perfect chance to tell him how I felt, as well. I nodded.

"Of course!"

"That's decided then." Grovyle said. "I'm sorry I can't be more help with the Hidden Land. It could be almost anywhere…" Yuuki still looked determined.

"We'll find it, Grovyle. Don't worry." He said. Grovyle smiled again, and I recognised the look of pride in his eyes before he turned to leave.

"I'll go gather the Time Gears then. Good luck, you two." He said as he turned back to us.

"Thanks, Grovyle. Good luck to you too." Yuuki said, before Grovyle left.

There was a pause. I was suddenly quite aware of how quiet I had been.

"So we need to find the Hidden Land, huh?" I said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah…" Yuuki said, sounding unsure. Another pause. "Tycho?"

"Yeah?"" I said. The way he said that… He was worried about something.

"This is going to be kind of dangerous… Are you… Sure you're okay with doing this?" He asked, once again looking me in the eyes. There was something there… Like he was… Pleading for something.

"Yes." My answer came straight away. He seemed surprised by that, but his lips curled into a smile as soon as soon as I said it. The question worried me, like he… Didn't want me to be there. The thought was unbearable to me. I took each of his hands in my own, ignoring the butterflies that gave me for the moment, and kept gazing into his eyes, a determined look on my face. "I know it's dangerous, and that's exactly why you're not doing it alone. We're a team Yuuki and… You're really important to me." I had to pause for breath, my determined look no doubt fading to a pleading one as I finished. "Please… Let me help."

Yuuki's smile was joined by a blush as I talked, but that smile suddenly disappeared with those last four words. "Tycho…" He said, giving my hands a squeeze. The way he said that made the butterflies come rushing back. Why did he have to be so gorgeous… Just as I thought that, he suddenly pulled me into a hug. It startled me, but I gratefully returned it, unsure what it meant just yet. "Of course… Of course you can!" He said, a slight quiver in his voice. "I'm… Really glad, actually…" He said, parting from the hug. "I just… You know… Don't want you to get hurt…" I didn't often see him flustered like this, but as cute as it was, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yuuki…" I began, still holding his hands. "I don't want you to get hurt either, so I'm coming, okay?" I said, a happy smile on my face. Yuuki's first response was to hug me again.

"Thank you." He whispered into my ear, and I could hear the sincerity being it. "You're… A really great partner, Tycho." Another pause, and he pulled back to look me in the eyes again. He was still blushing… "And you're really important to me, too." I pulled him back into the hug, and held him there for a while, just savouring the feeling of his fur against my scales.

"Thank you Yuuki." I said, just as he did, and just as sincerely. He rubbed my back affectionately, and I leaned into him. That felt good…

We stayed like that for another minute before parting. We were both blushing messes, but Yuuki quickly composed himself.

"So… The Hidden Land… Any ideas on how to find it?" He asked, a light blush still on his face. I paused for a second to think

"I don't… Think so." I conceded.

"Yeah, me neither." Yuuki said, and we both laughed. We didn't exactly have much to go on… "Uh… Well… Grovyle said it could be anywhere, so maybe it's not even on this continent…" He said with a frown. That was a problem.

"Yeah… and if it hasn't been discovered yet, maybe it's somewhere really out of the way… A small island, or something." I suggested. Yuuki turned to me with a smile.

"That sounds good! Although I suppose we'd need a way to cross the sea if we're looking for islands…"

"Yeah…" I said. Yuuki thought for a moment again.

"Maybe we should think about that then. Should we head to the beach?" He said. I smiled, always happy to go to there with him.

"Good idea." I replied.

**Authors Note:**

Bit more narrative heavy this time. Sorry about that! Still, hoping that sweet moment at the end makes up for it! I always thought that, with the Hero being kind of protective of the Partner, they must have been a bit worried about the Partner helping with such a dangerous task. Not that Tycho isn't tough, and not that Yuuki doesn't know that, just... Y'know... Protectiveness!


	5. Going Home

A hushed trip through Treasure Town later, and we were at the beach. The two of us stood facing the sea, taking a moment to relax and think. As we gazed outwards, I took one or two quick glances at Yuuki, longing to get a good look at that expression of content wonder on his face…

"I… Really missed this…" He said, closing his eyes in pleasure, the wind running through his fur.

"Me too." I replied, gazing out at the sea and savouring the feeling of the warm breeze against my cheek. "I don't know what I'd do without… Places and moments like this…" I looked to my side to see Yuuki smiling at me, that same warm smile that he so often gave me. It made my pulse race… He took my hand.

"Me neither…" He sighed, looking away. "I know I'm not… From this time… But I really feel at home here. Much more than I did in the future." He looked back to me, his expression now more worried. "Does that… Make sense, Tycho? I know that's kind of weird…" I turned to him, holding his hand with both of my own.

"Yuuki, of course it does!" I said, wanting that uncertain look in his eyes to be replaced with that confident glimmer I loved so much. "Yuuki…" I whispered as I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him into a hug, which he returned. "Of course it makes sense…" I pulled back, looking him in the eyes again. "All of your memories are of this world, right? And it's… Safer here…" I trailed off, not wanting to think of him being hurt. "Please don't think you don't belong here… I… Don't know where I'd be if it weren't for you!" I finished, fighting the beginnings of tears in my eyes. I wanted him to know he was welcome. I'd looked away from him as I spoke, and I slowly looked back at him to see that same gorgeous, understanding smile.

"Thank you Tycho. I just, you know, wasn't sure if I… was just confused about where I belong…" He took a deep breath, and kept smiling. "But you're right. I have so many good memories here… And a lot of people I care about." He said, smiling at me even wider. I looked away, blushing furiously with a big smile on my face. I hugged him tightly again, and he returned the favour. Then we parted.

We stood for a moment, neither of us saying anything. We looked into each other's eyes, happy smiles on our faces, and in that moment, I heard a voice in my head.

_"Tell him!"_

Another moment of silence. Yuuki didn't seem to mind. That smile stayed on his face as he looked at me. This would be the perfect moment…

But the words just didn't come to me.

We were silent for another moment. I'd blown it. That was the perfect moment and I'd blown it. I suddenly realised that, and broke eye contact, looking at the ground.

"Tycho? You okay?" Yuuki asked, still smiling patiently.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said with a nod. I wasn't sure if I was. I was crestfallen. When would I get a chance like that again?

"Are you sure?" He asked, taking my hand. He didn't sound particularly convinced. I slowly looked back at him. He was still smiling, and had a look of understanding on his face as well. Yuuki… Why did he have to be so perfect? I nodded again.

"Yeah. Or… I will be." I said, feeling stung by the missed opportunity. He paused before responding.

"I'm here for you, you know. Just like you're there for me." He said. "If you need to talk to me about anything, I'll be there." The thought made me smile. "There you go…" He said, teasingly. That only made me smile wider.

"I know, Yuuki. Thank you." I said quietly, admittingly already feeling a bit better thanks to him. He winked at me, then turned back to the sea.

"So… Any ideas on crossing the sea? I'm still pretty short on ideas there…" He asked. I thought for a second. It had been at the back of my mind, but…

"No… I suppose we don't have much to go on, but… There must be someway of figuring it out…" I said, looking for a positive. Yuuki turned back to me.

"Well I had an idea that might help…" He said. I cocked my head. "I was thinking… Maybe we should go to the Guild for help." My eyes widened.

"That'll be good! I think someone there must know something!" I said excitedly. "Although…" I went on, suddenly realising some of the issues. "I suppose we will have to explain what's going on… With Grovyle, and Dusknoir and… Everything we saw in the future…" Yuuki nodded.

"Yeah, that's true… I suppose it does all sound kind of crazy, but… I think we just need to hope they'll believe us." He said. I thought for a second.

"Yeah… We are in a bit of a dead end at the moment… And it'd be great to see everyone again…" Yuuki nodded happily. "But…" I went on. "Do you think they'll believe us?"

"I don't know… A lot of people around here probably still look up to Dusknoir… But I think we need to take that risk." Yuuki responded. I wasn't so sure at first, but upon thinking over our alternatives, realised we didn't really have many.

"You're right. If we're going to find the Hidden Land, we need their help." I said finally. Yuuki took my hand again, and I felt myself blushing.

"You sure that's okay?" He asked, I turned to him and nodded, giving him a smile. "Thanks Tycho." He said as he let go, turning towards the path back to the guild. "Now let's go home, eh?" He said as he looked back at me, grinning. I smiled widely as well, and turned the same direction.

"Let's!" I said, getting excited. We walked side by side up to the crossroads, and up the steps leading to the Guild.

We stood for a minute, looking up at the tent before us. Yuuki then turned to me.

"Been a while, eh?" He said, smiling at me.

"It really has…" I responded, blushing. "I… Bet everyone's going to be surprised to see us after we disappeared like that…"

"Yeah…" Yuuki responded, with a small laugh. He then looked at me, a caring look in his eyes. "Want me to go first?" I thought for a second. It was really sweet of him to ask, but…

"No. I… I can't be getting all bashful now. Thanks Yuuki but… I can do this." He smiled wider. I could tell hearing me say that made him happy, and the thought made me feel brave.

"Well said! Go for it." He said. I turned to look at that grate. I took a deep breath, then walked forward to stand on it.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!" Came Diglett's voice from below me.

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?" Came Loudred's response.

"The footprint is-" Diglett began, before stopping. All was quiet for a second.

"Hey! What's wrong, Diglett!?" Loudred shouted when Diglett stayed silent. "HEY! Where do you think you're going!?" He then asked, as the sound of burrowing could be heard.

"That footprint…" Diglett said, sounding further away now, his voice echoing through the tunnels beneath us. "It's Tycho!"

"What!?" Several voices responded, the sounds of confusion coming from several others.

"Here they come…" I heard Yuuki say, teasingly. I grinned. It was true, we could both hear the sound of hurried activity from inside the guild. We heard the sound of digging again too, and that's when Diglett popped up out the ground beside me. I smiled at the sight of him, and I bet Yuuki did too.

"It is Tycho! And Yuuki too!" Diglett said excitedly, calling out to everyone else.

"Diglett! Long time no see!" I said happily, getting really excited to see everyone now. With that thought, the gate opened, and I stepped back to stand next to Yuuki as all of the other guild members made their way out to see us. My smile seemed to get wider with each one of them, and the excited, happy chatter picked up quickly as Yuuki and I spoke to everyone.

Finally, Chatot and Guildmaster Wigglytuff came out as well. The Guildmaster came to the front of everyone, and with a huge smile on his face, spoke to us.

"Tycho! Yuuki! Welcome home!" I returned his smile, trying to keep tears out of my eyes. "Come inside! You must be tired!" He went on. I looked at Yuuki. He had just as big a smile on his face as I did, and he seemed happy to go inside.

"Yeah, we are… Thank you Guildmaster!" I said, blushing from all the attention.

"Yeah! Although…" Yuuki began. "We have some things we need to tell you…"

"I'm sure you do!" The Guildmaster sang. "And we've got plenty of time to listen! Ooh, I know! I'll share some of my gummis with everyone! C'mon, friends!" He said to everyone as he gestured us all to follow him back into the guild, which everyone happily did.

A few moments later, after we'd gotten settled in, we began to tell everyone what happened. Dusknoir pulling us into the future, the stockade, Grovyle helping us get back home, the Time Gears, and what we needed to do now. Yuuki and I would take turns talking, and each of us would chime in to add things now and then. Everyone listened intently, and the room was very quiet for a moment after we finished telling our story.

"Ahem…" Chatot began. "So to summarise… Grovyle was collecting the Time Gears to save the world, and the great Dusknoir was actually trying to prevent such from happening?"

"That's right." I answered, unsure where Chatot was headed with this.

"And Dusknoir took you both to the future as well because Yuuki was Grovyle's partner there?"

"Yep." Yuuki answered confidently.

"So… You made it home from all this, and now… The planet will soon become paralysed, and to stop it, you need to locate a place called the Hidden Land? Is that the gist of your story?" Chatot finished. Yuuki and I nodded simultaneously.

"Yeah, that's right." I said. Chatot looked at us for a second, a quizzical look on his face.

"Yuuki, Tycho…" He began, already sounding unconvinced. "I think you both need to take a rest. You're just tired, and you're imagining things." I was about to speak up, but Yuuki beat me to it.

"What do you mean, we're not lying! And we're not imagining things either! It's-"

"That's enough." Chatot said in a stern voice, but then smiled again, clearly trying to be gentle. "Just get some rest, okay? You'll feel more level headed in the morning."

"That's not it, Chatot!" I said, frustrated that he wasn't listening.

"Yeah, we know what we saw!" Yuuki added, sounding just as frustrated as I did.

"That's _enough_." Chatot repeated, getting annoyed as well. "Dusknoir would never do anything so cruel, and the 'Hidden Land'? I've never heard of such a place."

"I know it's hard to believe, but please-" I reasoned. Chatot cut me off with a raised wing.

"We'll hear no more of this." He said. He paused for a moment. "I don't suppose anyone believes them?" He went on. Everyone was quiet. I felt defeated. I was so sure someone would have believed us…

"Well, there is one thing that's weird…" Sunflora then spoke up. I was curious what she was going to say, and desperately hoping she'd say something to support us… "If what Tycho and Yuuki are saying is true, then it does make a lot more sense that Dusknoir pulled them into the future with him…" I smiled. That was true.

"Hmm… Don't you think they just fell into the Dimensional Hole?" Chatot asked her.

"No WAY!" Loudred said straight away. "Dusknoir GRABBED them and YANKED them in!" This was met with murmurs of agreement from the other apprentices.

"Are you all…" Chatot asked slowly. "Saying you believe them?" Silence.

"Um… I believe them." Bidoof then said. I breathed a sigh of relief and cracked a grin at the same time. I was so glad someone believed us…

"What!?" Chatot stuttered, seeming shocked. "Bidoof, are- are you saying you think Dusknoir is a villain now?"

"W-well… Golly, I did think highly of Dusknoir, but… Yuuki and Tycho are our friends and… I think it's important that we listen to them!" Bidoof explained. I had to hold back tears again. Seeing how much he cared about our friendship, and the reminder that people cared about us… It was such a nice thing to see.

"Thank you, Bidoof." Yuuki said, smiling at him. But Bidoof wasn't alone in standing up for us for long…

"Hey hey, I believe them too!" Corphish said.

"Oh my gosh! Me too! We need to listen to our friends!"

"I believe them!"

"Me too!"

"So do I!"

Eventually, all of the apprentices had come forward to support us. That grateful smile stayed on both of our faces, and I was just about able to keep my composure when Yuuki put a hand on my back and smiled at me.

"Thanks everyone…" I said, looking down, trying to hide the fact that I was a bit choked up. Yuuki noticed. He always did… But I hoped it wasn't too obvious to everyone else.

"Well!" The Guildmaster said as he stepped forward. "Sound like we all agree! Let's get looking for the Hidden Land!" We were all a bit taken aback.

"Um… _Are_ we all in agreement?" Yuuki asked, then stopped, and looked at Chatot. "Chatot, are you?..."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about Chatot." The Guildmaster responded. When we all looked confused, he went on. "Chatot believed you from the start, right Chatot?" Yuuki and I both looked to Chatot, who was visibly trying to hold back a smile.

"There really is no fooling you Guildmaster…" Chatot said, then turned to us. "Yes. I believed you from the start!" I was confused. How was I supposed to respond to that?

"Why did you pretend you didn't?" Yuuki asked in a bemused voice.

"Because I didn't want everyone to blindly follow along! This was the perfect test of your friendship, and you all passed!" I wasn't sure we were all entirely convinced by that, but it was good that everyone believed us. And whether or not it was supposed to be a test, it was nice to see everyone stand up for us as well.

"That's that then!" The Guildmaster said, addressing all of us. "Everyone! With time stopping in more and more places, we're shifting all of efforts to finding the Hidden Land! We'll need to get the word out, and figure out as much as possible! YOOM TAH!"

"HOORAY!" We all cheered. It was nice to do that again too…

"Yuuki, Tycho." The Guildmaster addressed us, and we both turned to him. "A good place to start looking for the Hidden Land might be to ask Torkoal, the town elder, about it." The name Torkoal rang a bell…

"Is he the one at the Hot Springs?" Yuuki asked. I remembered as soon as he said it.

"That's right." The Guildmaster said.

"Although…" Chimecho said as she floated over to us. "It's getting late, and you must be hungry…" Right on cue, both of our stomachs growled.

"Think you might have a point there…" Yuuki said with a laugh. Then his stomach growled again. I laughed quietly at that.

"Yeah, you can say THAT again!" Loudred said, laughing as well, and we talked with everyone while we all waited for dinner to be ready.

When we all sat down for dinner, Yuuki and I obviously had a lot to catch up on, and a lot of stories to tell. That was okay though. We passed the time chatting with everyone, once again taking turns telling stories and adding in bits here and there. It was good to be back.

After dinner, as we always had done, we made our way back to our room. Just Yuuki and I. I'd really had fun talking with everyone and catching up with what they'd been doing, but I really cherished any time I got alone with Yuuki as well. He gave a happy sigh as he walked in just after me, turning to me with a smile.

"Eventful day, huh?" He said, giving me that same kind smile that I loved him for.

"Yeah, it really has been…" I said, blushing. My chat with Grovyle about my feelings felt like ages ago, but it had only been that morning… "I'm really glad everyone believed us…" I said. That was true as well.

"Yeah, me too. This should be a lot easier with everyone helping!" He responded. I nodded, looking into his eyes, then blushed again when I saw he still had that gorgeous smile on his face. "Tycho…" He whispered in that gentle, understanding voice of his… I looked into his eyes. "Are you… Okay?" I nodded again.

"Yeah, sorry. I've just… Had a lot on my mind today." That was technically true, but I was incredibly nervous about letting on what the main thing was. Yuuki looked out of the window, seeing the vibrant orange of the sunset outside.

"Do you want to go for a walk? Maybe we could talk about it." He suggested. I thought for a second. That did sound nice. Maybe even… A little romantic. Maybe I'd have a second perfect moment to tell him… I looked at him with a smile and nodded yet again.

"That'd be really nice, Yuuki." He showed me that gorgeous smile again, and offered me his hand, which I gladly took, and we strolled out of the guild together, automatically making our way back to the beach…

**Authors Note:**

Kind of planned to get this up yesterday, but oh well!

Longer chapter this time. Again, there's quite a lot of narrative, but got some fluffy moments in there as well so I'm hoping nobody notices. Got all the narrative stuff out of the way now too! In game, this entire story does actually all take place in one day, so I didn't think it would really work to skip any of it.

Something tells me the next chapter's going to be really sweet though!


	6. Telling Him

So there we stood. Side by side on the beach, watching the sun slowly dip below the waves. It was beautiful. The whole experience, standing there with Yuuki, watching such a peace sight… It was wonderful. And yet my heart was racing. I wanted to tell him. I really, really did. And I wanted to do it there and then.

"So… Are you sure you're okay, Tycho?" Yuuki asked, turning to me. He had that same patient smile on his face that he'd had before, and seeing it illuminated by the evening sun was just… Breath-taking.

"Y-yeah." I said quietly. I was nervous, and I was afraid. But I knew Yuuki. Grovyle was right, and I was right, Yuuki would still care about me regardless of who I loved. I was going to tell him. This was it. He took my hand, sidling up closer to me.

"You don't need to hide anything Tycho. Whatever's on your mind, I'm here for you." I smiled. I knew he was. He always would be. I turned to face him.

Deep breath in. And out.

"I know Yuuki. And I… I have something to tell you." I said, trying not to stutter or mumble. Yuuki took my other hand, giving them both a gentle squeeze.

"Go for it." He said. I looked into his eyes. Gentleness. Understanding. Love. Of a sort. All of them were as clear in his smile as they were in his eyes. One more deep breath. Here goes…

"Yuuki… I'm gay." There it was. Finally.

For a moment, all seemed still. I didn't know what he was going to say.

"Really?" He asked, still smiling. I could only nod meekly. "Tycho… That's wonderful!" He said as he hugged me. My face must have been a picture in that moment. I hadn't expected that! Nonetheless, I happily hugged him as well, and he gently rubbed my back as we stayed in that embrace. "Well done…" He whispered in my ear. "That was… So brave of you…" I started to tear up at that. That bravery came from him, and for him to call me brave? It really mattered to me…

"Yuuki…" I said, letting my tears fall as he kept holding onto me. He really did care about me… He liked me for who I am… "Thank you…" What else was there to say? He was just… Amazing…

"Tycho… That's okay…" He said, leaning back to look me in the eyes. He was crying a little bit too, but was beaming at me at the same time. "Although…" He said, beginning to blush. "If we're telling secrets… Mind if I tell you one too?" He said. That made me curious…

"Of course not!" I said, returning that smile. He was quiet for a moment, then looked back to me.

"I'm gay too." He said. Once again, the world seemed to stand still. Did he really just say that? I took a moment, my mouth agape, slowly realising that yes, I'd heard him right.

There was no need for words at that point. I pulled him back into the hug, burying my face in his shoulder, letting him know that I cared about him, and always would. He seemed to get the message. He held me close, and for a moment, all was right. Eventually, I moved back. Just to look him in the eyes.

"I'm… Really glad." I said. That really was true. It meant he understood all that I'd been worried about. It meant I wasn't the only gay guy in town. It meant that… Maybe he felt the same way about me… The thought made me giddy.

"Tycho… Thank you." He said, tears in his eyes. "Just… Come here…" He said, hugging me again. I certainly wasn't complaining. After so much longing for this much close contact with him, actually getting it was magical.

So there we stood for another minute, holding each other in that gentle, understanding embrace. It was wonderful, and yet… I wanted to say more. I'd been bottling up my feelings for far too long, and if we were both telling each other how we felt, then I was going to tell Yuuki everything.

"Yuuki…" I said, pulling away. He clearly noticed the nervousness in my voice.

"Yeah?" He said, still beaming at me. That gorgeous face made me blush. Gosh, it wasn't easy to just come out and say something like this…

"There's just one more thing I wanted… To tell you…" I began, trying to ease into it a bit. Yuuki got a look on his face like he knew what he was going to say.

"Is it about a boy?" He asked, smirking a little. I nodded, blushing even more. Why did he have to so attractive all the time… "Got a crush, eh?" Another nod. He stopped for a second. "Well… Actually, so do I…" That got me curious again. I looked up at him, my gaze having drifted downwards, and saw that he was blushing pretty heavily too. "Tell you what… I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours!" He said, grinning. I really wanted to tell him, and I was admittingly curious.

"Okay…" I said, nodding shyly.

"Cool. Want me to go first?" He offered. I nodded again.

"Yeah, please…" I said, nervously.

"Well… The guy I like is sweet, kind… Funny, smart, brave… And really cute…" He said, holding my hands again. "Any ideas?" He asked teasingly. I wasn't sure, so I shook my head. "You sure you don't know?" He asked again, his smile getting wider.

"N-no I… I can't think of anyone like that." I said nervously. It was true, at least not counting Yuuki… He gave my hands another squeeze, keeping that gentle, warm smile on his face.

"It's you." He said simply.

"W-what?"

"I like you Tycho. I… Really, really like you." He said, blushing madly. Once again, I couldn't believe my ears.

"Yuuki… You like… Me?" I asked in disbelief. He nodded. It took a moment for it to sink in, but when it did, I knew exactly what to do. I placed one hand on his cheek and slowly leaned in. He realised what was happening and did the same. And we kissed. I had dreamed of that moment so many times, and it was actually happening… It really was a dream come true… He liked me. He really liked me! We kissed gently and slowly, but there was so much love in it that I started crying again. I had never been this happy…

After who knows how long, we parted. There was a look in Yuuki's eyes I'd never seen before. He was crying too, but beneath the tears lay that gentle, kind look, now with yet another beautiful dimension to it…

"I love you, Yuuki…" I whispered to him. It just slipped out, and I realised immediately that I'd said it. His eyes widened, and his blush deepened, but he kept looking at me.

"I love you too, Tycho…" He said. I let myself fall into his arms, and there we stood in each other's embrace yet again. I looked up at him, and he planted a kiss on my cheek, which made me blush like crazy. That made him laugh. "You're so adorable…" He said. I just held him tighter in response, once again burying my face in his fur. "You want to be my boyfriend, Tycho?" He asked after a minute. I pulled back to look him in the eyes. There was nothing in the world I'd want more.

"Of course I do!" I said excitedly, still crying a little. "That'd be amazing!" He smiled again.

"So… Boyfriends?" He asked.

"Boyfriends!" I said happily, hugging him again, nuzzling my face against his chest. He held me again, and kissed the top of my head.

"Thank you." He whispered. We stood there for another little while, content with each other's company, until the sun set. I pulled away from him as I noticed it getting dark.

"I… Suppose we should head back soon…" I said, slightly disappointed.

"Yeah… Don't want anyone to worry…" Yuuki responded, then looked me in the eyes. "And I suppose we'll need an early night for our date at the hot springs tomorrow…" He teased.

"Date!?" I said, surprised, but ecstatic he was calling it that.

"Well yeah… Sounds like one to me!" He said, lightly stroking my cheek.

"Y-yeah! It's a date!" I said, happier than I'd been in a long time. He grinned at me and took my hand.

"Shall we then?" He said, stepping away and turning to face the path back to the guild. I nodded, and we headed back, huge grins on our faces all the way.

So, we were back in our room. We were getting ready for bed, when Yuuki suddenly turned to me.

"Hey Tycho, I've been thinking… Do you want to… Share a bed tonight?" He asked. The thought alone of being that close to him made me blush, and he noticed. "You're so sweet…" he mused. "Just… You know… If you think it might be more comfortable…"

"Yuuki, I'd love to!" I said. Sharing a bed with him… I'd dreamed about that before too… He grinned at me.

"Yay! Come here!" He said, excitedly, and I was happy to do so. He laid down on his bed and shifted over to one side to make room for me, patting the empty space. I didn't need much more encouragement than that. I climbed into bed with him and he wrapped his arms around me, a favour which I was happy to return. So there we lay, smiling and content in each other's arms once more.

"When all this is over…" He whispered into my ear. "I'll take you somewhere really romantic, okay Tycho?" I still wasn't used to hearing him talk to me like that, and it was the sweetest sound I had ever heard.

"That sounds amazing…" I replied, nuzzling into his fur again, a huge smile on my face. "I love you Yuuki."

"I love you too, Tycho." He said, holding me in a way that showed how much he meant that. "Sweet dreams, my love…"

"Sleep well, Yuuki…" I replied, dreamily. I was still blushing, and I knew we had important work to do, but I was content in the knowledge that the love of my life was holding me so close to his heart, and thus, I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to come.

Life is good.

**Authors Note:**

There we go then. Hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it!

I'm actually really glad I finally got around to doing this story. I've been planning to for a long time, and I'm actually kind of proud to say that I did it.

Sorry that updates kind of slowed down there at the end, I suddenly had quite a lot of work to do! As a result of that, it may be a little while before my next story comes out, but I've got plenty of ideas for what it might be! It may or may not be another PMD story with these two, but I daresay I'll write another one of those eventually either way!

I think that's about all I have to say then. Thank you for reading, especially those of you that stuck through the whole thing! See you all around!


End file.
